Wandering Fox  Rewrite
by maliekal tharakan
Summary: AU. When Naruto leaves Konoha on a sudden note, nobody knows what to say. But who is this mysterious "Wandering Fox" who has suddenly appeared to help deal with Konoha's enemies? Future NaruHina. Adopted from AnimeOtaku31821.
1. Departure

AN: I recently adopted this story from AnimeOtaku31821, and the first 20-odd chapters are not mine. This work is used with her permission, and I will be continuing what I have always thought of as a fantastic story to the best of my ability.

Naruto belongs only to Kishimoto, and I make no profit whatsoever from this fanfiction. All characters and ideas belong to him and AnimeOtaku, with the exception of any OCs I add later on.

So, without further ado, I present:

_**Wandering Fox**_

_**Chapter 1: Departure  
**_

_He stood on a cliff overlooking a valley. Lifting his furred muzzle the fox sniffed the frigid mountain air. He could smell the smoke he spotted rising from the village that sat nestled on the valley floor. The fox's lips raised briefly in a silent snarl, his three tails lashing a bit, before the fox turned away in disgust. His paws crunched softly in the layer of snow as he made his way down the mountain without a sound. Soon the pitiful humans would pay...very soon. _

Naruto shifted restlessly in his sleep…not this dream…no, not again…

_He roared, heralding his presence to the terrified humans- The announcement was redundant; he tore through their village the way firestorms raze grassland. His muzzle was coated in a fresh layer of blood - he licked his lips, crouching slightly before leaping towards a fresh victim- a mother trying to protect her children. He quickly dispatched the woman with a blow from one of his tails, now numbering five. _

He thrashed, trying to stop the mental images. He heard a sadistic chuckle but couldn't tell if it was the Kitsune's or his own.

_He tore out the throat of the child he'd captured. Its terrified wails stopped and the fox wagged his seven tails once with satisfaction before he lowered his muzzle and tore into his meal. The flesh of a human child really was best, so tender and sweet. It seemed to retain the tang of fear best of out of all prey. Mere animals instinctively gave up as they died, accepting their fate. Humans were best, because of their silly belief that they were dominant- it caused a shiver of pleasure to race down his spine and tails to see the fear in their eyes as he lunged toward them, fangs glistening._

The genin yelled in his sleep, tears falling sideways to mix with the cold sweat that had broken out from the boy's mental battle.

_He growled at the human sitting atop the frog's head. He'd heard of this person, the Yondaime and his fearsome deeds. Now actually looking at the man he (against his will) began to believe the tales of the man's fierce loyalty to the village he protected. _

"_**Foolish human." **__He snarled, showing off his nine tails, one darting down every few seconds to decimate the ranks of the so-called shinobi that tried to delay his progress. The man merely smiled sadly before flashing a long set of hand seals. He stopped, holding the last hand seal. The fox was about to start laughing after a few moments until he saw a pale apparition form behind the man. His slight amusement turned to horror but before he could retreat, he felt his soul being ripped out of his body and his mind faded into blackness…_

Naruto bolted upright, gasping for air, his eyes wide as he took in his familiar surroundings. Slowly his heart slowed and he took deep shuddering breaths as he drew his knees to his chest; hiding his face from non-existent watchers. Slowly his body calmed down and after a few minutes, the boy relaxed enough to glance at the old beaten up alarm clock he'd fished out of a dumpster a few years ago.

Five twenty three. He'd better get up and moving for the day; he had a meeting with his team this morning. The genin slipped out of bed and winced as he padded, bare foot across cold wooden floors towards his bathroom, absently grabbing his regular orange jumpsuit.

Yawning, Naruto finally arrived at the bridge where he and his team normally met. He waved absently at his teammates, slouching over the railing to await the late arrival of Kakashi. His eyes were half closed as he lazily watched the water flow past him underneath bridge. He blinked slowly; he was tired- the dreams he'd been having didn't exactly make for a relaxing night. His eyes had drifted almost all the way shut when a fist crashed into the top of his head. He let out a yelp of pain, eyes flying open to spot an angry looking Sakura.

"Sakura-chan!" He whined, nursing the new lump on his head. "What was that for?"

"Baka! I asked if you were doing anything for the Kyuubi festival!"

"No. I generally stay home," he said somewhat coldly, his eyes hardening. _"Home" being where ever the villagers aren't likely to go…_

"What about you, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura turned to her crush, ready to fawn over him at a moment's notice. The ever-silent Sasuke merely grunted and shrugged.

"Home." He replied shortly.

Before she could say anything else, all three heard a poof and smelled smoke. It seemed that their lazy sensei had finally appeared.

"You're late!" Sakura screeched. Naruto yawned again, nodded while Sasuke stayed silent. Kakashi's visible eye smiled as he tried to think of a plausible excuse.

"Maa, I was crossing the street and an abandoned tomato rolled-"

"Liar!" Sakura shouted once again, glaring.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head nervously for a moment before looking over his students. Sakura was still fuming over his late arrival, Sasuke was standing off to one side, glaring off into the distance while Naruto…he frowned, the usually hyperactive blonde was struggling to stay awake.

"Today we have no missions. You're free for today so-" Before he could even finish the sentence, Sakura and Sasuke had already left. Naruto shook his head, still trying to keep awake and turning to leave. He watched the boy, wondering what was wrong. _Probably stayed up late, training. _The jounin mused for moment, before leaving in a poof of smoke.

"Hey baa-chan."

Naruto's usual greeting was subdued and the Hokage raised an eyebrow, silently questioning the blonde genin. His gaze flickered down to the floor of the Hokage office, eyes dulled from their usual sapphire blue to a greyer tone.

"What do you want Naruto?" Tsunade finally asked, wondering what had happened to bring the cheerful genin down. He finally looked at her, taking a deep breath before bowing deeply.

"Hokage-sama, I respectfully request a temporary leave of absence."

The sake she'd been about to drink was nearly spewed out in shock. "What? Why?" She sputtered, shocked.

Naruto came up from his bow. "Think about it baa-chan. It's September 30th," he said flatly. The Hokage nodded; the villagers definitely became bolder in their actions against Naruto as October 10th drew closer.

"Ah…I see your point. When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow," he stated in a dull tone. "I'll leave before the villagers get up."

"What should I tell the rest of the genin? They'll be-"

"What, worried?" Naruto let loose a bark of harsh laughter that didn't reach his eyes. "No, they'll be too busy with plans for the damn festival."

"I'll have the pass for you by tonight."

Naruto nodded, leaving without a word. The youthful-looking Hokage sighed heavily, watching the young boy exiting the tower. She watched as the blonde simply was absorbed into the crowd briefly before he entered the alleys and back ways of Konoha.

"Oh Naruto…." She muttered under her breath, worried over the young shinobi.

Naruto ducked out of the alley nearest the entrance to his apartment. Swiftly glancing down each side of the street he crossed said street and leapt up to his apartment's balcony before a villager could spot him and glare with those horribly cold eyes. Eyes that screamed: _We all hate you, just go and die you damn demon. Go die, no one cares about you. _

He shuddered as he entered his bedroom, snagging the backpack he used on missions from the hall. In the privacy of his own home, he was able to discard the happy-go-lucky mask that most of Konoha knew him by. He frowned a little, picking up piles of supplies that he'd need and dumping them on his bed. _How easily they were fooled, _he thought. _No seemed to remember me as anything except a stupid prankster, a dobe._

His hands paused in his calm packing, and the blonde let out a heavy sigh. Even Iruka had fallen for his mask. His hands resumed packing, placing a small bundle of scrolls next to his extra kunai and shuriken pouches. He let his thoughts drift, wondering where he would go for the week and a half he planned to disappear.

Would he even come back? He hadn't given the old hag a return date. He could wander where ever he wanted and not be counted a missing-nin….He shook his head roughly, discarding the idea. The council would revoke his pass and declare him a missing-nin. Hunting season for all foxes: Open.

_I'll probably just head for Suna. I can visit Gaara for a while…_His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. He walked to the door and opened it, wondering who would be polite as to knock on his door instead of just kicking it in. He was vaguely surprised to see of the chuunin who usually on gate duty standing there.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked after a moment of silence.

"The Hokage asked me to deliver this." He held out a travel pass which Naruto took with an idiotic grin.

"Sweet! I can't wait, I'm going to go visit Gaara or maybe that old bridge builder in Wave…" He said, mask slipping silently into place. He trailed off, smiling as he noticed that the shinobi was already gone. He took a closer look at the pass he held in his hand that would allow him brief freedom from his home village.

The pass was a simple scroll that was small enough to be slipped inside a pocket or kunai pouch comfortably. He unrolled it to double-check the details as he walked back to his room. It merely stated that he, Uzumaki Naruto, genin of Konohagakure was allowed to travel freely through Hi no Kuni and its allies starting on the date shown.

Naruto shrugged, rolling the scroll back up and slipped it in his backpack. Running through a mental checklist he thought he'd packed everything. He rummaged about his kitchen, grabbing some ramen for food and filling his water pouch, something he'd picked up from a mission. It was a watertight animal skin, easy to roll up and stuff in a bag when empty.

Looking about his apartment he grabbed his pack and left it near the door. He wondered if he should go to bed when another person knocked on his door. He barely had time to wonder who it was when a familiar voice sounded.

"Naruto? Are you in there?" It was Iruka-sensei. Naruto walked over to the door and opened it with a grin.

"Iruka-sensei! Whaddya want?" He asked, grinning up at the taller man. Iruka raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What's this I hear about you getting a travel pass?" His question was asked in sober manner and Naruto winced silently. While Iruka had never seen past the mask fully he had come close several times- luckily Naruto had been able to fool the older man with a plea for ramen.

"Oh…I wanted to go and visit Gaara or old man Tazuna."

"And it's just a mere coincidence that you leave tomorrow? Before dawn?" The eyebrow that Iruka had relaxed a little started once more towards the Academy teacher's hairline. Naruto slumped a little, looking down at the floor.

"Not really…" He mumbled. Iruka sighed and unfolded his arms from his chest before kneeling down that he could look at Naruto. The boy's eyes were narrowed in an icy blue-gray glare that should've scorched the floorboards if there was any justice in the world.

"Naruto…I'd try and convince you not to go but…I already know it wouldn't do any good." He murmured, wrapping his arms around the startled genin. Naruto stiffened for a moment before relaxing, a tear creeping down his cheek as he returned the hug from his surrogate father.

"You'd think knowing why they hated me would make it better…but it just hurts more. At least now I can leave the village- I doubt a mob would follow me that far…" Naruto said a few moments, disentangling himself from Iruka's comforting embrace. The Chuunin nodded sadly, before standing up.

"I guess I see you around sometime. Don't stay away too long Naruto. People would miss you." Iruka left with a smile and a wave as Naruto retreated back into his apartment, a sarcastic snort leaving his mouth.

"Somehow, I doubt that Iruka-sensei… I just doubt it." He said sighing, walking back to the kitchen to prepare an instant ramen dinner before going to bed.


	2. Retrieval

AN: Again, this is reposted with the permission of AnimeOtaku32812. I do not own Naruto.

_**Wandering Fox**_

_**Chapter 2: Retrieval**_

Sakura frowned as she stopped in front of Naruto's apartment, accompanied by Sasuke and Kakashi. They had all met on their usual bridge and waited for over an hour before starting to look for Naruto, who was strangely missing. He hadn't been at that ramen stand he adored so much, and after speaking with Konohamaru and his cohorts, learned that Naruto hadn't been seen all day. They had finally come to his apartment, a little surprised that Naruto lived in such a worn-down building, situated in a more dangerous part of town.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called out, knocking lightly on the door. Glancing back the genin behind he shrugged and turned away, ready to continue reading Icha-Icha Paradise. He was stopped by both of Naruto's teammates latching onto his arm. He slumped, his arm still held fast by Sasuke as Sakura tried the door. She appeared surprised to find it unlocked and hesitantly stepped inside, followed by her teammate and teacher.

"Naruto?" She called out, sounding a little irritated as she looked about her. The small apartment was surprisingly clean for the most part. Everything was worn and faded, but fairly clean nonetheless. There were a few ramen cups scattered around the small couch, and the single armchair and worn rug were stained pretty badly under an old coffee table, but that was it. Peeking into the kitchen, she spotted a cracked table and a lonely chair, pushed in haphazardly before an empty sink. Cautiously opening a cupboard she was unsurprised and slightly disgusted to find stacked ramen packages.

"He's not here!" Sakura heard Sasuke call out. Curious she walked down the hall to find her crush standing in Naruto's small bedroom, looking at a small bookcase filled with scrolls in slight disbelief. Sakura glanced at the bed in the corner, finding it like the rest of the house - worn but clean, the sheets slightly rumpled. There were a few posters and a calendar on the wall; a closet door left carelessly open showed a few duplicates of the horrible orange jumpsuit Naruto habitually wore. There was also a small shelf, haphazardly piled with kunai and shuriken.

While Sakura was inspecting Naruto's closet, Sasuke pulled a scroll randomly from the small bookcase and looked at it. What was the dobe doing with _Intermediate Taijutsu Exercises_? Glancing at Sakura who was trying to decide whether or not to burn Naruto's clothes, he unrolled the scroll and activated his Sharingan- only to be shocked by a low-level Raiton jutsu. He let out a small hiss of pain, dropping the scroll, watching it unroll, showing nothing but white space. The raven-haired genin froze as he saw the scroll roll to a stop - at Kakashi's feet. He quickly deactivated his Sharingan as the lazy jounin bent over to pick up the scroll.

"What's Naruto doing with this many scrolls Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, walking over to peruse the shelves herself. Sasuke stuck his burnt hand in his pocket and shrugged, watching his teacher roll up the scroll and replacing it on the shelf. Kakashi himself shrugged. "Maybe someone gave them to him as birthday gifts. I think Sandaime-sama used to when he was small."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, realizing he didn't even know Naruto's birthday- you'd think the blonde would announce it to the village, so they would remember the birthday of the greatest Hokage ever. Sakura looked puzzled, asking the question before Sasuke could.

"When is Naruto's birthday, Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi shrugged before walking out of the room. The two genin followed out of curiosity and out of the apartment. "Oh you already know it, just as a different celebration." Kakashi finally answered. Sasuke let out a small snort of disgust at the answer. Sakura simply sighed, knowing by now that enigmatic answer was likely all she was get out of her silver-haired teacher.

"So where are we going to look for Naruto next?" She decided to switch the topic back to their original discussion - where to find the missing Naruto.

"Hokage Tower. No one's seen him all day, which is strange…" Kakashi frowned under his mask as they approached the large red tower, centered in the heart of Konoha.

Quickly climbing the stairs, they soon entered the Hokage's office. Tsunade glanced up from the piles of paperwork that surrounded and spilled over onto her desk. "What do you want?" She asked shortly, stamping a final document and moving it to the pitifully-small pile that resided in the outbox.

"Tsunade-sama, we haven't seen Naruto all day and we were starting to get worried…" Kakashi spoke up only to be silenced with a wave of Tsunade's hand. She stood up and turned to look out over the village. "I wouldn't worry about Naruto if I were you. Gate guard early this morning reported him leaving early this morning, just before dawn on his travel pass."

She turned back to look at Team Seven, who looked stunned and dumbfounded. She frowned. "He didn't tell you? No, otherwise you wouldn't be here…and that Academy teacher would've been in here first, demanding for a search party…" The last half of her sentence was half murmured to herself. She folded her arms across her ample bosom, chin tucked near her chest as she thought for a moment before shrugging. She returned her attention back to the waiting genin and their teacher.

"Naruto requested a travel pass yesterday evening - considering the time of the year, I don't really blame him. He left early this morning- destination unknown. For all I know, he could be heading off to a coastal town for a month long vacation," she quickly explained.

Kakashi's expression turned from worried to something a little darker when Tsunade mentioned the circumstances under which Naruto left. Sasuke and Sakura, however, still looked confused as ever. "Hokage-sama, what does the time of year have to do with Naruto's leaving?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade threw an exasperated look in Kakashi's direction. "Didn't he tell you _anything_about himself?" Kakashi simply shook his head, just realizing that he knew very little about the missing blonde - only what was in his file and what the Third had told him. Tsunade let out a growl before finally answering Sakura's question. "I won't tell you if Naruto hasn't. His secrets are that for a reason."

The look of confusion on Sakura's face merely grew- Naruto had secrets? The blonde could barely keep from telling secrets, how could he have any of his own? She was distracted by her uncomplimentary thoughts of her missing teammate by Tsunade clearing her throat.

"If you want to go after Naruto, I'll give you clearance to leave - though you'll have to find out where he was going by yourselves." Kakashi nodded in acceptance of that statement and lead his team out of the office as Tsunade pulled out a small bottle of sake.

After a few minutes of silent walking Kakashi finally turned to his genin, pausing by the side of the road. "Well?" he asked simply, hands tucked comfortably in his pockets. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Well, what?" The Uchiha asked in his usual monotone.

"Do you two want to go chase Naruto?"

"Hn. The dobe can't even be trusted with himself; Kami only knows what trouble he'll get into on the road." Translation: Yes. Kakashi smiled before turning to Sakura, who appeared thoughtful.

"I think we should," she finally spoke at last. "He seems to have a lot of secrets- secrets that we don't know anything about. I think he should trust us, I mean we are his teammates after all."

Kakashi twitched mentally, Sakura was pretty smart and that could be dangerous with Naruto and his secrets…but she did seem concerned about Naruto. Sighing aloud, Kakashi banished wistful thoughts of reading Icha-Icha Paradise while his team slaved away at D-rank missions.

"Alright then, consider this training in tracking a missing-nin. We know that Naruto left early this morning, and he might've left clues as to where he was heading. One of you go check the logs at the gate house and the other go tell Hokage-sama we'll be leaving to find Naruto as soon as we know where he was going." Sasuke nodded once before turning back towards Hokage Tower.

"I'll meet you two at the gate," he called back before picking up speed. Sakura looked a little disappointed that Sasuke had ditched her but reluctantly returned her gaze to Kakashi.

"What're you going to do Kakashi-sensei?" She asked as they started for the gate. He shrugged amiably.

"I'll probably talk to the gate guards and send out some of my nin-dogs to see if they can pick up a scent trail."

Sakura formed a silent "oh" and they soon reached the gatehouse to find the two chuunin assigned there- asleep. Sakura quietly started flipping through the logs for the day, looking for Naruto's semi-familiar sprawling scribble. While she was busy looking Kakashi had nudged the guards awake and taken them a short distance away to talk. They both looked rather nervous at the thought of talking to the infamous Sharingan no Kakashi.

"What do you need sir?" One of them asked, scratching his head nervously. Kakashi shrugged, trying to look his laziest and most relaxed. "Oh nothing much, just some information. You guys have been here since… what, before dawn?"

They nodded, still wondering what the jounin wanted. Kakashi eye-smiled. "Ah good, you're the shift I'm looking for. Do you remember seeing my student, Uzumaki Naruto, leave?"

"What, the Kyuubi cont-" The one that spoke up was swiftly jabbed in the side by his companion as Sakura trotted up, looking pleased with herself. She held the log book and had her finger pointing at a familiar signature. "Found it Kakashi-sensei! He left here around 5:30 this morning."

The chuunin who had jabbed his comrade nodded in affirmation. "Yeah. He signed out without a fuss - though I remember that Iruka showed up to say goodbye. Uzumaki might've told him where he was heading."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, directing Sakura to go put the log back. Feeling a familiar chakra signature approaching at a lazy saunter he turned to spot Sasuke. Sakura let out a happy squeal and promptly bounded up to her crush to inform him of what she and Kakashi had found. While the raven-haired Uchiha was being brought up to date, Kakashi quickly and quietly summoned Pakkun and his other nin-dogs. The brown little pug looked confused but nodded quickly as Kakashi gave his canine companions orders to hunt for Naruto's scent.

"We'll find him Kakashi, don't worry." While the other dogs had leapt away in pursuit of Naruto's scent, Pakkun paused. Kakashi smiled briefly through his mask.

"Ne, Pakkun, I was actually hoping you'd stick with me - Me and Sasuke and Sakura are about to see Naruto's old Academy teacher and he might know where Naruto is heading. Once we have a narrower search area, you could go and inform the others?"

Pakkun looked faintly surprised at the hint of pleading he heard in Kakashi's voice but nodded. He nodded at Sasuke and Sakura as Kakashi finally walked over to them. "According to the gate guards, Iruka-sensei might know where Naruto is heading- that can provide a narrower search area for my nin-dogs. You two remember Pakkun, from the Chuunin Exam I trust?"

He received nods and the group headed for the nearby Academy, all of them hoping that Iruka would have the information they wanted.

Naruto stopped at the edge of the trees, panting slightly. He narrowed his eyes against the harsh glare of the sun as he gazed across the rolling sand dunes that marked the edge of Kaze no Kuni. The road he'd been following steadily ever since he left swiftly devolved into a small worn trail that was barely visible among all of the sand.

Digging into his back, he checked the level of his waterskin and briefly consulted the map he'd brought- if he kept going east he'd reach Suna in a couple of days. Shouldering his pack, the blonde strode out into the desert sun.

Kakashi mentally steeled himself as his students led him through the twisting hallways of the academy- He had only interacted with Iruka once, when he had nominated Naruto and the others for the Chuunin Exams and well…it hadn't gone well. He wouldn't be surprised if the Chuunin harbored a deep dislike of him- from what he'd heard the man had a strong bond with his missing student. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the dinging of a bell somewhere nearby.

"Uh-oh…" Sakura murmured, paling as the ground started rumbling. Sasuke's eyes widened as rumbling deepened and they leaped backwards into a nearby alcove; Sakura dragging their confused teacher back just in time as a mass of small bodies flooded the empty hallway, barreling for the exit doors that represented freedom to their small minds. Kakashi watched in a stupefied amazement as the crushing mass of wriggling bodies slowly dispersed after a few minutes.

Papers slowly drifted, abandoned to the now-longer shaking floor. Sakura cautiously walked out of the alcove before smiling a little.

"It's safe- I'd forgotten about the Releasing of the first years." The way she spoke the word "releasing" made it clear that it was capitalized. Sasuke nodded before following his teammate down the once-more barren hallway. Kakashi followed hastily, still shaken by what had just seen.

"The, uh, Releasing?" Kakashi asked, wondering if he wanted to know. Sakura nodded briefly before explaining.

"The first year Academy students are released at noon because they're only five or six. They're actually famous for the amounts of energy they have, it makes them almost impossible to control- as you saw. Once that bell rings, no teacher is able to hold a class- they rush out of here like nothing I've ever seen." She finished her explanation just as they reached a door that was hanging by only a hinge, still gently waving from the force of small bodies that had smashed into it at high speeds.

Peering inside, they found Iruka sitting behind his desk, head buried in his arms. As they watched the Chuunin changed his position so that he was sprawled in his chair. "Damn, I'd forgotten- after Naruto was gone I'd get _first years_again…" He muttered before noticing he had an audience. He scrambled to his feet, straightening his vest and headband.

"Sakura! Sasuke! What're you guys doing here, shouldn't you be doing missions?" The teacher quickly hugged both of them, ignoring Sasuke's discomfort. Kakashi hung back, watching the man. He was so…open, it was surprising. Naruto was definitely influenced by Iruka's presence; they both wore their hearts on their sleeves proudly.

"We can't exactly do missions without Naruto. We heard you might know where he's at." Kakashi finally spoke up, taking a single step inside the empty classroom. Iruka's eyes hardened slightly as he nodded cordially to the silver-haired jounin.

"I might've, why?" Iruka's voice was tense and guarded as he turned to straighten up his desk. Kakashi almost let out a growl but a quiet sigh escaped his masked lips instead.

"Sasuke, Sakura, why don't you wait for me outside the Academy?" Sakura opened her mouth but closed it when she saw how tense the two men were. She nodded and left with Sasuke. Kakashi waited a few minutes before answering Iruka's question.

"So we can find him dammit!" His retort caused Iruka to stop organizing piles of homework and turn around. He leaned against the desk, arms folded across his chest.

"What, worried about one of your precious soldiers getting hurt?" Iruka's eyes were as sharp as flint as he stared at Kakashi.

Kakashi froze for a moment, recalling what he'd said to the Chuunin in the Hokage's office before the Chuunin Exam. Iruka took his brief pause as a chance to continue. "After all, that's all those three seem to be to you- soldiers, pawns to be used for the good of the village." Kakashi flinched minutely but let Iruka continue. "Even if I did tell you were Naruto was going, what were you going to do, bring him back here?"

"Of course! He's too young be off wandering by himself, he-" He halted, hearing Iruka let out a bark of laughter. "What, so he's an actual human to you now, with feelings? I won't even go into the fact that bringing him back would the worst thing you could do to the poor boy!"

Kakashi's fists tightened. "What do you mean by that?" He asked in a low voice.

"I mean exactly what I say. Use that genius brain you supposedly possess Kakashi-san! Naruto got that pass for a _reason._He left today for a reason, and I happen to know for a fact that he won't be anywhere _near_ the village on the tenth. Now why's that I suppose?"

Iruka placed his hand on his chin in parody of a thinking gesture. He dropped it after a moment and glared at Kakashi.

"I…" The jounin was at a loss. He tried to think of a retort, but couldn't find one before Iruka spoke again. "If you actually had taken a look at Naruto's medical records you would've notice something. Can you guess what it is?"

Kakashi felt nervous and shook his head. Iruka actually growled at him before replying. "If you had actually looked at Naruto's records you would find that _every year_ he has been admitted into the hospital, almost on a daily basis- but only in the beginning of October. Because every year, the villagers go after him, or rather, after the Kyuubi. And you know what he does?" Again Kakashi shook his head, feeling lower than one of the Aburame's kikai insects.

"Absolutely…" Iruka paused. "Nothing."

"Wha'?"

That inarticulate syllable was all Kakashi make out. The blonde didn't seem like one to sit down and take a beating- literally. His mind flashed back to his time in ANBU- something he had tried his best to not to do ever since he left his mask on Sandaime's desk along with his resignation from the elite organization.

_A blonde haired boy curled up in a small bloody ball in alley. Kakashi growled from behind his wolf mask before jumping down to help the boy. His squad had already dispersed the mob and taken the culprits into custody. He gently grabbed the shaking form, ignoring the blood that dripped from wounds onto his bone-white ANBU breastplate. The form in his arms shifted as the boy hunched against Kakashi's breastplate, as if the armor would protect him as well._

"_Why…" He glanced down as a small hand curled around the shoulder strap of his armor. "Why, ANBU-san? Why do they hate me…"The shaking increased as the boy started crying. Kakashi stayed silent, as his left eye, Obito's eye, starting weeping. He cleared his throat and growled mentally as the boy flinched away in response._

"_They hate you for something you couldn't control. But remember this Naruto-san: Not matter what you hear; it was_never _your fault."_

_He felt the boy nod as he touched down in front of the hospital. "Somebody get me a medic and fast!" He yelled. Medics rushed out and quickly took the boy. A member of his squad appeared next to him._

"_The culprits?" He asked as the boy was loaded on a stretcher._

"_Dead." His comrade stated shortly._

"_Right. Follow them, make sure he's being cared for properly." Kakashi ordered._

"_Hai, taichou." His subordinate nodded once before following the stretcher as it entered the ER._

Kakashi shook his head to clear it from the memory. "I…Iruka please. Where is Naruto heading?" His voice was much softer and he looked up from the floor.

Iruka looked at him suspiciously- this man was very different from the one who had coldly informed him that his former students were now his soldiers. Kakashi looked steadily back at him. Iruka looked down at his feet and pinched the bridge of his nose, right above his scar.

"Suna. He was planning to go and visit Gaara in Suna." He relented and gave the jounin the information he'd been looking for. Kakashi let out a sigh of relief and stood a little straighter. "You get that Pakkun?" He asked. Iruka's eyes bulged as a small brown pug jumped to one of the desks and nodded. "Got it Kakashi. I'll go tell the others. We'll be waiting for you and the brats."

The brown pug disappeared in a poof of smoke and Kakashi headed for the door. "Thank you Iruka-sensei." Iruka nodded before turning back to straightening the rest of his papers.

"Let's go you two!" Kakashi called out as he appeared, exiting the Academy. Sasuke dropped down to the ground from his perch in a tree and Sakura stood up from her seat among the roots of the same tree.

"So where's the dobe running to?" Kakashi frowned at Sasuke's phrasing but responded anyway.

"He was going pay a visit to Gaara."

"The guy with the sand monster inside him?" Sakura frowned. "Why would he go there? He's going to miss the Kyuubi Festival…" She fell silent when Kakashi looked flatly at her as they approached the gates.

"Gaara and Naruto have more in common than you'd think Sakura. And I don't think Naruto's ever gone to the Festival an-" Kakashi stopped as he heard a howl sound out, quickly joined by at least two others. "They've picked up Naruto's trail!"

- Page Break -

"Ugh…damn desert." Naruto mumbled as he swayed with exhaustion and dizziness. The sun seemed to beat down and suck away the last dregs of his energy. He stumbled off the trail he'd been following and collapsed on the burning sand as sweat impeded his vision. His limbs felt so heavy…the sand wasn't that uncomfortable really, once you got used to the temperature….maybe he could take a short nap, try to regain some of his lost energy…His eyes drifted close as everything faded to black….

His eyes shot open as a musty, damp smell pervaded his nose. Naruto sat up in shock as he recognized the wide spacious room that housed the Kyuubi and the seal that kept the great Kitsune contained. He scrambled to his feet, disturbing the ankle deep water that covered the floor of his mind. Water dripped off him as he looked about the room before looking at the gate to the prison that held the demon fox at bay. He frowned, the bars were looking much worn and scratched…when he had last been here before they'd glowed softly, in perfect condition….

"**Feh, nice to see you're not totally oblivious gaki."**A single pair of gleaming eyes opened lazily. Naruto glared at the Kyuubi, a retort on his lips when the Kitsune spoke again.

"**If you think the bars are bad, glance up a little at that damn seal."**Naruto involuntarily followed the Kitsune's command and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the seal. The edges looked worn, and a little shredded; any other detail was obscured by the seal's high position.

"What the hell is going on you bastard fox?" Naruto yelled in shock. The Kyuubi merely snorted.

"**If you keep talking to me like that I'm not exactly inclined to answer, now am I? But since the clock is ticking at a faster pace, I supposed I'll have to answer."**

Naruto's brow furrowed. "What do you mean the clock is ticking at a faster pace?" The Kyuubi growled, snapping his jaws in irritation.

"**If you'd let me**_**finish**_**I'll explain. Now, you do know the purpose of this seal, right? And if you answer to 'keep you imprisoned' I swear I'll swat you, seal or no seal."**

Naruto let out a growl of his own but thought about the question…Yes, the main purpose of the seal was to Kyuubi from harming anyone but it also allowed the bijuu's chakra to mix with his own safely…Ero-sennin had theorized that Naruto would eventually absorb all of Kyuubi's chakra, effectively killing the bijuu. His eyes widened as he thought of what Kyuubi had said…clocks ticking…faster rate… "Aw, hell no!" He clutched at his hair as he came to the realization. Kyuubi would've cocked an eyebrow, if he had one- the brat had actually figured it out…

"**Judging from your response you figured it out. If you haven't, I'll spell it out for your tiny mind- That damn Yondaime designed the seal so that our chakras could mix freely, with yours slowly absorbing my own. That perverted hermit was actually correct in his theory that given enough time you would absorb me completely. I think the seal was actually designed with that in mind. But at the original rate, it would've taken you another fifty years to completely absorb my chakra. However, your Yondaime failed to take into account that you might actively draw on my chakra- and the effects that would bring."**

The greatest Kitsune paused for breath, and to see how the blonde would react from the news this far. Well, the brat had fallen down in shock, but he was still breathing…fairly normally and he was still listening. Good enough. He took another deep breath before continuing.

"**It was a combination of two things that have actually weakened the seal- One, your actively drawing on my chakra- that weakened the seal a little but not much. But when that snake-freak cut my chakra off from yours completely, it started building up. And when that pervert reopened the connection, all that built up chakra rushed out into your system and that further weakened the seal. And by the seal weakening, I mean more of my chakra is leaking into your system- enough that your chakra can't convert it. And tha-Hey, are you still listening to me?"**

The Kitsune broke off, seeing Naruto fall backwards into the pool of water and lay there spread-eagle looking up at the hidden ceiling. The Kitsune growled and a small slither of chakra slipped between the battered bars of his prison and nudged the boy. He heard a slight groan, and withdrew his chakra back into his cage as Naruto heaved himself up onto his feet.

"I got it from here. My chakra can't absorb yours because there's too much, and so since yours is the stronger chakra it absorbs _mine._And with the seal weakened, my own chakra won't get a chance to get stronger. So eventually I'll have absorbed all of your chakra- and have nothing left of my own..."

"**Which is what essentially makes you human."**

"WHAAAAAA'?" Naruto's eyes bulged out as he took in that notion.

"**You heard me gaki."**Kyuubi's glowing eyes narrowed only to widen as Naruto's eyes rolled back in his head, and the boy's body fell limply to the floor and faded from the Kyuubi's view as the boy's mind returned to consciousness.

- Page Break -

Kakashi's eye narrowed as he and his team stopped in the final straggling trees that stood before the landscape dissolved into a sand filled flatland, with rolling dunes. Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow, frowning slightly.

"Naruto, headed out into _this_? Why?" Kakashi glanced at her before shrugging.

"Who knows? You can ask him yourself when we find him. Pakkun, how close are we?"

The little pug sniffed the ground a few times before answering the jounin. "His scent's faint, mostly because of the wind, but we're close. Otherwise we might have lost the trail…" He trailed off as he realized the three humans had already taken off down the faint track visible. The dog sighed before scrambling to catch up with Kakashi and the genin.

He'd only been trotting for a few minutes when he heard the raised voice of Sakura. Pricking up his ears, he could faintly hear Kakashi's soothing voice issuing crisp orders, though Pakkun though he could detect a faint hint of panic as he drew closer, kicking up small spurts of sand as he sped up. He rounded a brief bend in the track, and skidded to a halt, spotting a limp orange form in Kakashi's arms. Sasuke held a pack in one hand and had his free hand over Sakura's mouth who was looking surprised.

The Uchiha uttered a grunt of satisfaction before removing his hand and looking at his teacher. "What's wrong with the dobe?"

Kakashi shifted Naruto until the unconscious genin was on his back and started walking. "Probably heat exhaustion- his body wasn't used to the hot climate and didn't adapt fast enough. He'll be fine once we get him back in Konoha."

With that, the jounin started back towards the forest, his genin following. Pakkun grumbled, but followed silently once more.

AN: Whew, finally done with the editing! If anyone knows a good beta for later on, please let me know.

**New Edit** Yes, I realize that I've already released this chapter, but I found a few flaws that the old me wouldn't have, so I'm going to start releasing chapters again. Sorry about the year-plus wait, I've been busy with University and a bunch of unlucky things happening to my family.

As always,

Ryan

**Please Read and Review!**


	3. Conversations and Disappearance

AN: This story is kind of mine, I guess... The first 20-something chapters till belong to AnimeOtaku31812, though. Also, Naruto belongs solely to Kishimoto.

_**Wandering Fox**_

_**Chapter 3: Conversations and Disappearance  
**_

"Ngh…" Naruto's nose twitched as he stirred restlessly. He felt cooler, and he seemed to be lying on something a bit harder than sand. Cracking an eye open, he blinked in surprise. _When did the sky turne peach and pink? _Suddenly the sky rotated and called out. "Kakashi-sensei, he's awake!"

He winced, and rubbed at his ear. Then he sat up in shock as he recognized the voice. Rubbing his eyes to clear them of sleep-tears he stared in shock. He was sitting at the base of a large tree in a tiny clearing. Feeling something wet and warm he looked down in surprise to see his black t-shirt that he wore underneath his orange jacket was wet and spread across his bare torso. As it started to fall, he quickly made a grab for it and held it to his chest, still looking around the clearing in shock.

Sasuke had his back to him and was tending a fire. It was with a slight shock that he realized that the sun was setting. Before he could do anything more, he was distracted by Kakashi walking over and crouched down next to him.

"Kakashi-sensei…what're you guys doing here? Is everything fine back home?" His mind was still trying to process the fact that his team was here. Kakashi merely smiled underneath his mask.

"We were worried about you." Naruto blinked as if slightly surprised at the notion- people caring about him. Especially right now…Shaking his head to clear his thoughts and to wake up a bit more, Naruto mumbled a barely heard "What happened?"

Surprisingly enough, Sasuke was the one who answered his question. "Hn. You got heat exhaustion, dobe- luckily we were following you otherwise you might've gone off and died." Naruto's face reddened slightly and he stood up, pointing a finger accusingly at Sasuke.

"What're you doing following me teme! What d'yo-"

Before he could continue, a fist crashed roughly into his head. Instinctively his hands rose to clutch at the new injury. His t-shirt, which had already started to peel off his chest, fell to the forest floor. Naruto's eyes widen slightly as he made a grab for the shirt but the damage had already been done. He froze, hunching instinctively as he heard Sakura's small gasp as she caught sight of the various scars that crisscrossed his back.

Hearing Sakura's gasp, Sasuke turned around and Naruto winced as the Uchiha saw the scars on his chest and stomach. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to block out the horror and pity he pictured on Sakura's face. Feeling something cool trace a line along his back, Naruto shuddered deeply, resisting the urge to turn around and attack whoever it was- Probably Sakura.

"W-what happened Naruto?" He felt Sakura trace another line (probably following another scar's path) along his spine. Unable to control himself this time, he leapt away from his pink-haired teammate, nearly shouting his answer. "N-Nothing!"

Sasuke stood up, raising an eyebrow as he took in the multitude of scars marking the tanned skin of his comrade. "That's a whole lot of nothing there, dobe." Naruto ignored him, spotting his orange jacket hanging from a nearby branch; he snagged the jacket and quickly slipped it on, zipping it closed. Feeling slightly calmer, he turned back to look at Sakura and Kakashi.

Sakura was watching him with a concerned and slightly confused gaze. Kakashi was watching the scene with a neutral face- he'd probably known from Naruto's file about the young genin's extensive scarring. Glancing out of the corner of his eye he spotted Sasuke who was merely looked at him with cold, uncaring eyes. A small part of him flinched away from those eyes, eyes that reminded him of the villagers. A small tremor ran through his body but he ignored it.

"Great, you've seen me; I hope that assuages your vast concerns over my wellbeing. Can I leave now?" He'd dropped part of his mask when he had woken up, now it slipped a little further. He took a step towards his pack, lying at the trunk of a nearby tree. Sasuke matched his step with another of his own.

"Big words dobe. Get them out of a dictionary?"

"How'd you know if you didn't look?"

"Grr…"

Both males glared at each other before Sakura up once more. "Would both of you stop it? We should go back to Konoha, and when we get there, have a team talk!"

Naruto shook his head roughly, reaching down to grab his pack. "I'm not going back!" He said vehemently, adding in a softer undertone as another tremor raced across his shoulders, "Not where the villagers can get me." Sasuke raised an eyebrow, hearing the muttered aside.

"And why would the villagers want to 'get you'?" Naruto cringed at the Uchiha's tone. Trying to keep the memories of former Kyuubi Festivals at bay, he stared back, silent. The dark-eyed youth continued speaking, connecting the dots mentally and verbally. "Unless…_they _were the ones who hurt you…those scars couldn't possible have been inflicted at once- you'd be dead." His gaze bore in Naruto's terrified eyes. "What'd you do to upset the villagers?"

Naruto had barely heard the question, he was too busy remembering.

_He was five, and he could barely wait to leave to go the Kyuubi Festival….on his way to the booths a small group of people, already smelling of sake intercepted his path. The leader roughly shoved the small Naruto against the nearest wall. _

"_Lookit, 's th' Kyu-…Kyuu-…Kyu-demon brat!" Naruto huddled terrified, caught totally by surprise when the man lashed out with a powerful punch that sent him sprawling. His cry of pain caught the attention of some others who joined the others in hurting him…_

"Not my fault…" He whispered. He was so caught up in the memories that he didn't feel the flaring pain in his stomach, didn't notice Sasuke's and Sakura's confused looks as his eyes changed from blue to red, his whisker birthmarks thickening as his canines grew, didn't notice his fingernails sharpening. "It was NEVER MY **FAULT**!" He roared, his voice changing to a deeper, raspier version on the last word.

He stood panting for a moment, glaring at his teammates. Sakura had fallen down in shock, Sasuke unconsciously activated his Sharingan. Kakashi had finally broken out of his lazy pose. He stepped forward, hands held out, and palms toward Naruto. "Naruto, calm down! We're not going to hurt you…we wouldn't let the villagers hurt you wh-" He cut off by a harsh bark of laughter that emerged from Naruto's deepened vocal chords. "**Ha! That's what the ANBU said, every year but where were they when the villagers beat me? They'd always show up after the fact! I would be a bloody ball, curled in some alley before they came!**"

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he heard his teammate describe his experiences. Naruto's slit pupils were completely dilated, mere lines of black hidden in a sea of hot crimson. Sakura sat on the floor, completely taken aback by the change in her teammate. Kakashi stood silent once again, trying to decide what to do. Seeming to make up his mind, he cautiously stepped forward to shake Sakura out of her stunned stupor.

Naruto's eyes snapped on to him, clawed fingertips flexing. Sasuke spotted his hostile behavior and instinctively drew a kunai from the pouch at his side, ready to defeat his teammate from…his other teammate. Naruto caught sight of the matte-black weapon and his eyes widened in horror. He took a stumbling step backwards as an aura of red chakra swirled into existence around him. Squinting, Sasuke's could make out a vague fox-shape…there was even a tail, lashing in agitation.

Naruto could barely breath, so great was the terror that invaded his mind when Sasuke drew that kunai- _No he's going to hurt, he wants to hurt me, like all the others, the others, the mobs, so mad at me, so hurtful, he's going kick me and beat me and laugh at my pain just like all the others- _**"Don't hurt me!" **With that terrified cry, Naruto lunged away from the group, barely pausing to snatch the strap of his pack.

Sasuke swore vehemently, catching the attention of both his teammates. He looked at them, deadly serious before gazing after Naruto.

"Dammit…What caused him to react so violently to me drawing a kunai?"

"If I remember right, the mobs that used to chase him favored all sorts of weapons."

Both remaining members turned to their teacher. "Mobs?" They all but shouted. Kakashi declined to answer but instead took off; following the rather obvious trail Naruto had left in his flight.

**Oi. Gaki.**

Naruto ignored the voice in his head; it could barely be heard by his panicked thoughts as he flew the trees with no sense of direction except for one- away. He had to get AWAY! He'd being fleeing for five minutes straight, ignoring the mental voice that wasn't his until his stomach finally flared in pain, great enough to make him drop to the ground, near a small stream. He lay there winded for a few moments, his mind reeling in shock- what had done that?

**Feh, baka. And here I though you actually used that brain of yours on occasion- only for it to turn out that you're as dumb as your mask. To think that I'm stuck sealed inside a pathetic container such as you…**

"Damn fox! What'd you do to me?" Naruto flung himself upright, finally taking notice of the changes to his body. He glared at his clawed hands for a moment before crawling to the stream edge to look at himself. He flinched away from his distorted reflection cast a red glow over the water.

_**I**_** didn't do anything- you were the one who got so caught up in your own memories that you pulled on my chakra- congratulations I think the seal weakened a little more. With the amount of my chakra now circulating your system I wouldn't be surprised if something started changing **_**now. **_

"What do you mean?"

**I would've explained in our earlier conversation had you not fainted. Surely you can't expect to have your pathetic human chakra to convert to my own, more potent youki without serious effects? I told you before, your chakra is what's keeping you human- by the time all of my chakra's done converting yours you'll be a full-fledged Kitsune. And a nine-tailed one at that. **

Naruto blanched at the thought. He heard the Kyuubi chuckle throatily in the back his mind and sensed the Kitsune's…presence withdraw from his mind. Taking a deep breath, the blonde bent down to steal a drink from the stream. He was afraid that the chakra surrounding him would cause the water to steam, but to his relief the chakra aura dispersed, and though he still retained the other bestial qualities, he was able to drink freely. The water was cold and clear, it soothed Naruto's mouth and throat. After a few second he stopped and withdrew, wiping his mouth free of any remaining water. He stood and went to sit by his pack, which he dropped when he'd fallen.

He propped the bag against a tree and lay against that as he tried to come to grips of what had happened in the last half-day; forget the seal he would think about it later. He'd barely had a minute to think when he felt familiar chakras near the clearing. Closing his eyes, he stood up, back to where he felt the chakra presences.

"What part of 'I'm not coming back' do you not get?"He stated simply (secretly happy that his voice had returned to normal) before turning around to look at his teammates. Sakura still looked like she was in a state of shock but she was moving. Sasuke had put away his kunai, and Kakashi was still on edge. This time it was Sakura who spoke.

"B-b-because we're y-your team-m-mates- and teammates shouldn't keep secrets from each!" All three leapt down from whatever trees they had been standing on to stand near Naruto. He watched them warily.

"And what makes you think I'll tell you?" He asked softly, fists tightening. Kakashi spoke up, mildly surprising.

"Because they're your teammates, and won't react half as badly as you think." Naruto leveled his crimson glare at his teacher.

"Forgive me if I'm not exactly willing to test that statement."

"Naruto, you might as well since they've seen you…like this."

Naruto merely growled in response. He picked up his pack and slung it over his shoulders, preparing to leave. He barely heard Sasuke's frustrated snarl before the boy's hand latched onto his shoulder in a surprisingly strong grip.

"Dobe, just tell us."

"I don't think so, teme. Don't you know that you should back off when someone tells you to?"

"Might've heard of it."

Naruto growled deep in his chest, before whipping around and latching a clawed hand around Sasuke's wrist, and the other clamping around the genin's throat. Sakura gasped in horror and Kakashi started forward, but stopped when Naruto's hand tightened ever so slightly around Sasuke's throat, drawing blood.

"You want to know a secret so badly, I'll tell you one- but if I find you following me I swear I won't be responsible for my actions. You got that?" Sasuke nodded as much as he could, instead, trying to focus on breathing what little air Naruto gave him. Naruto spotted Sakura nodding out of the corner of his eye. Slightly loosening his hold on Sasuke's throat, Naruto looked at Kakashi who sighed and reluctantly nodded. Naruto growled with satisfaction before speaking again.

"Gaara's not the only one of his kind," was the almost-growled sentence, Naruto pointedly flicking his gaze towards Kakashi before he released Sasuke who stumbled back, rubbing his throat and wrist, which was also bleeding. With a final look at his team, Naruto stalked off into the forest, quietly disappearing rather quickly from someone dressed in eye-blinding orange.

The remaining members of Team 7 stood there for a few minutes in shock- well, Sasuke and Sakura did. Kakashi watched them cautiously, wondering how they would react. Finally he broke the silence when it appeared neither genin was going to speak.

"Well then, I guess we'd better get back." His voice was a little more subdued, but otherwise he sounded normal. When Sakura sent him an incredulous look, he held up his hands defensively. "Look, there aren't exactly a lot of options- We could try following Naruto, but I think that would be beneficial to our health; he's made it clear that he needs and wants to get away. And since he's on a travel pass, he's free to do so. We should head back to Konoha, report to Tsunade-sama and then…go on with life as usual."

"That's going to be rather hard without the dobe- but I don't think we'll be able to get him to come back." Sasuke finally spoke up, his voice a tad hoarse from the recent assault on his throat. He massaged it a few times before walking over to stand next to Kakashi. Sakura still looked vaguely uncertain but nodded unhappily. Slowly the three shinobi turned around and head for home.

Tsunade raised her eyebrow as Team 7 entered her office. Sakura seemed to be thinking hard about something, while Sasuke was rubbing at some bandages around his neck and one of his wrists. Kakashi was silent, but his posture showed he was very worried.

"Do I want to even know?" She finally asked after a moment. Sakura jolted out of her thoughts and looked over at her other teammates. Kakashi sighed heavily before relying, rubbing the back of his neck.

"We found Naruto…he resisted any idea of coming back to Konoha. He grew agitated enough to draw on…the other chakra." Tsunade's eye widened and they darted to Sasuke and Sakura.

"Do they…?" She asked, half-dreading the answer. Kakashi shook his, smirking under his mask slightly

"No, they haven't figured it out. Spent most of the way back trying to though."

Tsunade frowned at the two silent genin before speaking. "Sasuke, Sakura you're dismissed. I need to talk to Kakashi in private."

The pair nodded silently and left, Sakura muttering something under her breath to Sasuke who merely shrugged. As the pair left, Shizune entered carrying another stack of paperwork for her master. Tsunade eyed the stack of paperwork before turning her attention to her ever-faithful assistant. "Shizune, I need you to find the white-haired pervert for me. And tell him it's about Naruto."

AN: Finally done! I'll work on getting the rest of AnimeOtaku's chapters out sometime this week, and then I'll start my additions next week.

If there are any requests for an omake, I'll do my best to accomodate them.

As always,

Ryan

**Read and Review, please!**


	4. Return Incognito

AN: I don't own Naruto, and the first 20-something chapters of this story are by AnimeOtaku31821

_**Wandering Fox**_

_**Chapter 4: Return Incognito  
**_

3 Year Timeskip

Tsunade, the Slug Sannin, granddaughter of the Shodaime and Godaime Hokage of Konoha glared at the group of people before her. This group was known for making trouble, and yet always seemed to slip out of the blame they so richly deserved. Taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself she forced a smile onto her face.

"Honored Council Elders. What can I do for you?" _You filthy, power-seeking, washed out buzzards. _The two Elders looked at each other before Koharu spoke.

"We've spoken with you on this topic many times over the last three years. I believe you know what, or rather whom we wish to discuss" Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples before replying in what was a near growl.

"Naruto."

"The Uzumaki boy has gone for three years Tsunade- do you really think he's coming back?" Homura spoke now, adjusting his glasses. Tsunade sent him an icy look, folding her arms. "May I remind you that I and Jiraiya also left the village on travel passes for a number of years before returning?"

"Yes, but that was different, Sandaime and we were certain of your loyalty…"

"And Naruto is no less loyal to Konoha than Jiraiya? Or me? That boy is loyal to his birthplace to a fault! One would think he would be less loyal, given his youth…"

Her last comment was a careful insult to the Elders, seeing as they themselves had not obeyed the Yondaime's dying wish. Koharu bowed her head briefly, in acceptance of Tsunade's point. Before they could make a rebuttal, Tsunade spoke again. "If you wish to know more of Naruto, I suggest you speak with my teammate. He's kept in contact Naruto while he's been gone and would know more than I."

To make it especially clear that the subject was closed, Tsunade turned her attention to a report from the Mission Room. Silently the Elders exchanged a glance and left the room. When she heard the door shut Tsunade let out a sigh of relief and reached under her desk for the small bottle of sake she kept for occasions like this. Taking a small sip, she leaned her head back against the wall.

"How much of that did you hear, you old pervert?" She asked to seemingly empty air as she closed her eyes and tossed the bottle towards a nearby open window. The air shimmered and the Gama-sennin, Jiraiya appeared as he neatly caught the sake bottle before taking a sip for himself.

"All of it." He answered a moment later. "Why'd you have to tell him that I'd know more? I haven't seen the brat more than a handful of times since he left."

"That's more than anyone else in this village. When did you last see him anyway?"

"Feh… a couple of months ago. He was visiting the Sand Siblings over in Suna. He seemed pretty happy - healthy too."

"Really now?" Tsunade mused, picking up a random mission request and approving it. "He make any mention of visiting us in the near future?"

"Define 'near'," Jiraiya chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. Tsunade sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Next six months."

"Eheheh… no."

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. "Sometimes I wonder if he's ever going to return…Half the time I'm tempted to send out a search team comprised of some of his friends to hunt him down."

Jiraiya laughed, shaking his head. Tsunade glanced at him questioningly. "If you wanted Naruto back, send out that Academy teacher. He'd drag Naruto back home by his ear and make him do detention." Tsunade chuckled at the idea, it was probably true. She'd heard stories of Iruka chasing Naruto all over Konoha, roaring at the blonde to get back to class and clean up his messes.

"So pervert, why'd you come here in the first place?"

Tsunade sighed as she flipped the light switch and spotted the same cloaked figure sitting in her chair, boots thrown casually atop her desk. Pinching her nose to stave off a headache she looked at the figure, to make sure he was there - he was. Just like last time…

"_Ugh…Five in the morning is way too early for any normal person to be up, not to mention be working." Tsunade grumbled as she entered her office. As she reached for the light switch she froze and a kunai appeared in her hand. She promptly threw the blade in the direction of her desk as she hit the switch._

_A metallic clang was heard as her kunai rebounded off something metal. A cloaked figure sat calmly in the chair behind her desk, boots thrown casually atop the surface, her kunai firmly wedged in the hilt ring of another kunai that the figure held calmly. As if they didn't notice her, the person inspected both kunai, removing hers with a grunt of effort._

"_Tsk, tsk, Tsunade-sama. So quick to attack an ally and friend? And with such force…you notched the ring." The unknown figure spoke in a rumbling voice that held a slightly raspy edge to it. Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the casual tone. She watched as the person removed their boots from her desk and pocketed both kunai._

"_Who are you?" She finally asked, finding no hint of a threat in the stranger's movements._

"_Merely a poor wandering fox." The stranger replied, a pair of crimson eyes flashing from beneath the hood of his cloak. _

_Tsunade quirked an eyebrow, recognizing the name."And what would the infamous Wandering Kitsune be doing in the Hokage's office? Don't you have a town to save from bandits or something?" She smirked lightly as the eyes narrowed. _

"_Ah…so you have heard of some of my deeds. To answer your question, I was in Ta no Kuni when a young viper raided the village of the inn I was staying at it. Well, normally I would've beaten them back and be done with it when I caught a glimpse of his face. Friend of my described him most vividly, and swore to bring him back here when he heard that Uchiha had deserted Konoha." _

_Tsunade wondered who say such a promise before focusing in on the shinobi's tale. "Well, now the matter was personal. I beat back his underlings and knocked him unconsciousness. Double-checked to make sure I had the right man before coming to make my delivery."_

_At that point the wandering shinobi leaned over and with a clawed hand hoisted a limp body bound with wire by its long black bangs. "You lose this?" The Kitsune asked in a dry tone as Tsunade's mouth dropped open at the sight of Uchiha Sasuke's bruised face. She rushed over to her desk and took the limp figure from the mysterious shinobi's hands. Barely breathing, she confirmed that the unconscious teen was in fact the younger Uchiha. _

"_I would've simply left him on your desk but a friend of mine asked me to deliver a message- that and I wanted to make sure that the Uchiha was actually in your custody."_

_Tsunade barely spared him a glance as she checked the Uchiha for wounds. "What message did you have to deliver?" She asked distractedly. When she received no reply, she looked up only to find an empty seat staring at her. Shaking her head, she loudly called for some ANBU._

"Nice that you could finally join us Tsunade-hime." Jiraiya spoke up from his post, leaning on the wall behind her desk. "What do you want?" She asked, sighing as she walked over to her desk. The figure stood up, presenting her chair with an amused look in his crimson eyes.

"Heard you were looking for me…What could the great Godaime Hokage wish to do with the Wandering Kitsune?"

Tsunade took her seat and reached for her sake bottle as she regarded cloaked man before her. Taking a sip, she sighed again. "Your delivery's little curse seal is cracking through the restrictive seals Jiraiya placed on it. We'd heard that you might know a Seal Master who could help us out."

She watched red eyes half-close as if thinking, the owner folding his arms under his cloak. After a few minutes of silence the cloaked shinobi shifted, clearing his throat a little. "I do know of a Seal Master, the only problem would be trying to get her to leave and come here- she's very, ah, stubborn. But, she might not be enough to help….you'd almost need the Yondaime for this kind of thing..."

Jiraiya started slightly, a guiltily thoughtful look spreading across his features. Tsunade caught it and promptly chucked a scroll at him. "Jiraiya you idiot, don't even think about it. We don't need to stoop to _his _level to deal with something like-"

The door slammed open and a familiar pink-haired kunoichi stood there painting, clutching at her bleeding forearm. "Tsunade-sama! Uchiha Sasuke nearly broke free! He's subdued and under a heavy sedative but he manage to kill two ANBU and injured three- the injured ones are fine with Shizune at the hospital…" She trailed off, noticing the cloaked figure. Tsunade caught her confused look and quickly introduced the pair to each other.

"Ah, Kitsune-san, meet my apprentice Haruno Sakura. Sakura, Kitsune-san was called in on a consult- ironically about the Uchiha."

"Hajimemashite Haruno-san." Kitsune quickly bowed. Sakura returned the gesture, hand still clamped over her injury. Tsunade frowned slightly, standing up and walking over to her apprentice. Gesturing for Sakura to show her, her arm she briefly examined the injury before healing it in a glow of green chakra.

"How'd you get hurt?" Kitsune inquired in an almost casual tone. Sakura turned a slight red before replying. "While attempting to escape, Uchiha managed to get his hands on a kunai. He sliced me when I injected the sedative."

All three shinobi winced, Kitsune letting out a slight growl. "He's lost much of what little respect I still gave him. To stoop so low as to harm a former teammate…"

He broke off suddenly as Sakura stared at him. "How'd you know Sasuke and I were on a team together?"

"I know your other teammate." Kitsune replied somewhat reluctantly. "Naruto-san spoke highly of you both- well until he'd heard that the Uchiha had run off to the 'snake-raping pedophile'. His words, not mine."

Sakura straightened, her eyes brightening at the mention of her other teammate. "You know Naruto? How is he, where's he a-"

"Why don't you go and help Shizune with those injured ANBU?" Tsunade broke in, giving the girl a shove towards the door. Sakura nodded, looking slightly confused and quickly left. Shutting the door with a sigh Tsunade turned to look at two still remaining in the room. Jiraiya's expression had darkened and Kitsune's eyes were narrowed in anger as he spoke.

"We're not going to have time to go and fetch my master if the seals have degraded this far. What other alternative Jiraiya-san was thinking of, you might seriously start considering it."

Tsunade grimaced. "I don't exactly think the Council will agree…using such a forbidden technique."

Jiraiya nodded his face still serious. "We might not have a choice, if the Uchiha breaks free, Orochimaru gets back his precious host and Konoha gains a powerful enemy."

Kitsune shifted somewhat uncomfortably. "What technique are you talking about?" He asked in a slightly puzzled tone. Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged a look before Jiraiya quickly explained the basic of the technique Orochimaru had created for his evil and perverted purposes. Kitsune was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "So you really could resurrect the Yondaime…" Jiraiya nodded in response, his eyes holding a faraway look as he fondly remembered his brilliant student.

Kitsune shifted, an arm digging for something beneath his cloak. "I'll have to think about it, and I believe that you two will have to discuss this with Council- but before I go, Naruto-san asked me to deliver this to you." He withdrew a scroll and tossed it at Tsunade before heading for the door. "I'll just give you some privacy." He said quietly, leaving the office.

Tsunade hmmed a response, amber eyes already skimming the handwriting. Jiraiya grumbled and shifted from foot to foot somewhat uncomfortably as she read the letter in silence. Finally she rolled the scroll back up carefully and set it to one side before fixing Jiraiya with a glare strong enough to cause the great man to start shivering in fear.

"You," she stated in a steely tone, "have some explaining to do." He smiled feebly, mentally telling his legs to keep supporting him.

"I do?"

"Oh you do. And you can start by telling me what the hell Naruto means by 'learning to control the last of my tails'."

Jiraiya paled slightly and muttered something about crazy brats who didn't know when to keep their mouths shut. "Well…there's a reason why Naruto's been gone for so long…and it's not just the villagers. Well, it was the villagers but they've always not liked him so in a way it's not them an-"

"You're babbling, get onwith it." Tsunade growled, gesturing for Jiraiya to get to the point. Sighing and drawing a hand across his face, the toad summoner sat down before continuing, and his expression serious.

"Originally when he left, Naruto was planning to come back in a week and a half. He just wanted to be out of the village during the Kyuubi Festival- he was planning to stay with the Suna jinchuuriki, Gaara. From what he told me, he passed out apparently from heat exhaustion. Naturally he was drawn to the seal chamber." Jiraiya paused to shudder slightly; from what Naruto had described it wasn't too pleasant a place. "He noticed that the representation of the seal was looking a little banged up, almost as if the fox had tried to escape- No don't worry, let me finish. Apparently the fox didn't try to escape; the seal itself was changing; weakening actually."

Tsunade drew in a sharp breath, amber eyes worried. "The seal is weakening?" She asked in a low voice. Jiraiya nodded before continuing.

"From what the fox and Naruto have been able to figure out is that the seal wasn't designed with the fact that Naruto might actively draw on the Kyuubi's chakra- that alone would've weakened the seal only a little. But when Orochimaru blocked Naruto's access to Kyuubi's chakra during the Chuunin Exam, the small amount of the fox's chakra that was supposed to be leaking into Naruto's system to be absorbed started building up behind Orochimaru's seal. When I released that seal, apparently all of the pent up chakra was released into Naruto's system."

Jiraiya paused to take a few breaths, apparently thinking. He held up a hand, in warning.

"Just to let you know this is the part where the Kyuubi's knowledge is greater than mine since he's had around 16 years to study the seal up close. Apparently because Naruto's system couldn't absorb all of the pent up chakra, the fox's started absorbing _Naruto's _chakra. The seal was weakened by all this, so a greater amount of Kyuubi's chakra was being released into Naruto's system. According to the fox, the stronger chakra absorbs the weaker. So it's Kyuubi's chakra absorbing Naruto's. And Naruto's chakra was what was keeping him human; it acted like a buffer between him and the Kyuubi. With that buffer gone, the fox's chakra started actually changing Naruto."

"….What do you mean, changing him?" Tsunade said. Jiraiya looked down at the floor, elbows resting on his knees, hands loosely clasped. "Naruto…The fox's chakra changed him into a kitsune himself."

Silence descended upon the pair as Tsunade sat back in shock while Jiraiya watched his teammate. After a few minutes, Tsunade's hand blindly groped until it found her sake bottle and she took several long pulls. Finally she stopped and he noticed tears trailing down her face as she put down the bottle. Hastily wiping her eyes she took a deep shuddering breath.

"So he's been gone because he's becoming a kitsune…" She murmured in a disbelieving tone.

Jiraiya nodded softly. "Since the Kyuubi's chakra will become Naruto's, he'll have all nine tails- last time I saw him he had just gained the eighth tail. From what you said, it seems he's learning to control the final tail…" He trailed off thinking. After a few moments, he shook his head and looked back at Tsunade.

"You alright?" He asked. She smiled slightly, shrugging.

"A part of me is almost proud of him- isn't nine tails the highest amount a fox can gain?"

"Yeah…what about the other parts of you?"

"Part of me wants to beat him for ever actively drawing on Kyuubi's chakra; another is worried sick about what the villagers and what they'll do to him. And the Hokage part of me is wondering if he'll turn against the village…" She was slightly reassured by Jiraiya's vehement head shake.

"The day that Naruto turns against this village is the day I renounce my Icha Icha series."

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched but before she could punch him, the door opened to reveal a tired looking Shizune. "The ANBU injured in Sasuke's escape attempt are in stable condition Tsunade-sama…." She said, sagging against the door. Tsunade nodded absently, her mind still focused on the thought of a kitsune Naruto. "Shizune, before you go home to rest, send out a Council Summons." Shizune nodded before leaving.

"Jiraiya, let's go get smashed."

* * *

AN: I hope everyone's pleased with the minor changes I made. The rest will be updated sometime later this week.

As always,

Ryan

**Please Read and Review, I like feedback more than almost anything else... Except maybe my protein supplements lol**


	5. Yondaime's Return

AN: This is story is adopted from AnimeOtaku31812, and Naruto belongs to Kishimoto. Also, if you could take the time to read the author's note at the end, you'll understand the delay.

_**Wandering Fox**_

_**Chapter 5: Yondaime's Return  
**_

Kitsune walked down the street, neatly dodging civilians as he headed for a familiar-looking stand with a white and red banner. He ducked underneath it, taking a stool before clearing his throat to catch the attention of the old chef who was cooking in back.

"Ne, Teuchi-san- how 'bout a bowl of beef ramen for a long gone customer?" he called out, grinning as he removed the hood of his cloak, revealing black hair with crimson dyed tips and cheerful green eyes. The old man whirled around in surprise, smiling as he spotted the young man seated at his counter.

"Kitsune! What're you doing here in Konoha? The last time I saw you…when was that?"

"When I dropped off a package named Uchiha. May I remind you that that was also the first time you'd seen me?"

"Ah, yes…Here's your ramen Kitsune." The old chef proudly served the sixteen year old a steaming bowl of ramen. Grinning, the young man grabbed a pair of chopsticks.

"Naruto-san sends his regards by the way." He commented before starting to eat his meal.

Teuchi chuckled as he moved back to clean the counters, shaking his head. "Of course, Kitsune. If only he'd come back, business is lagging without his help…" Kitsune smiled sadly as he slurped up the last of his broth. "He'll be back Teuchi-san, don't worry. I'll tell him that you want him back, next time I see him."

Teuchi nodded once, absently checking to make sure the current batch of ramen wasn't burning. When he came back, Kitsune was gone and the cash for his meal was sitting on a napkin that had a quick note scribbled on it.

_Thanks for the meal, see you next time- Kitsune_

Tsunade let out a heavy sigh as the Council members filed into her office. She and Jiraiya had spent the past few hours trying to figure any other way they could possibly restrain Sasuke without having to resort to Orochimaru's technique. Unfortunately, they had been unable to come up with any other solution. Now she, Jiraiya and Kitsune watched as the Clan Heads and Council Elders settled themselves in the chairs provided, Tsunade stood up.

"As you might've heard, Uchiha Sasuke attempted to escape from his prison today- he was successfully restrained and sedated but at the cost of two dead ANBU and three others injured. Jiraiya informs me that the restrictive seals he placed on the Uchiha's curse seal are barely holding back the seal's power- as was demonstrated today. We'd known that the restrictive seals were steadily weakening, but not at such a fast rate- Jiraiya planned to bring in an outside consultant to see if they could help."

"Who did he wish to bring in?" A curious member asked. Tsunade glanced at her two companions and motioned for Kitsune to speak for himself. The man nodded, and stepped forward.

"Myself, actually. Or someone that I knew could help." The council member eyed the cloaked man with a suspicious look.

"Who are you?" Kitsune shrugged amiably, replying with a slight smile that showed his impressive canines.

"Merely a poor wandering fox." This caught the attention of almost every Council member's eyes to widen slightly. Before the barrage of questions could start Tsunade spoke.

"Kitsune and Jiraiya are acquaintances and Jiraiya asked Kitsune if he knew of a Seal Master. He does, but by the time he and Jiraiya came back with that Seal Master, the Uchiha would have broken free- and most likely heading back to Orochimaru."

"We can't have that happening" Hyuuga Hiashi spoke up in his calm voice and the others nodded in agreement, looking at Tsunade expectantly.

"I trust you three have an alternative?" Yamanaka Inoichi inquired, cocking a pale blonde eyebrow.

"Jiraiya and I have an idea, but well- you won't like any more than we do…" Tsunade stated grimly before Jiraiya spoke up and explained the proposal. A few seconds of dead silence ensued after he finished the explanation before almost everyone in the council started yelling at once.

"We can't go resurrecting the Yondaime for something like this!" Koharu spoke first

"It's almost sacrilegious!" Homura's statement followed closely after Koharu's.

"Doesn't that jutsu require a sacrifice?" Shikaku asked seriously, for once

"We can't just stoop to Orochimaru's level!" Inuzuka Tsume barked out her opinion, her nin-ken agreeing with a nod. Tsunade rubbed her temples briefly as the other Clan Heads put in their negative opinions as well.

"Enough!" She finally barked, and blessed silence returned. "Let me make this clear- everyone person in this room doesn't not wish use that jutsu. But unless you have another solution, this is probably our only option right now." Glaring around the room, she watched as the Council slowly sat down. "If anyone one else has a suggestion, we'd like to hear it- Otherwise Jiraiya will probably perform the technique shortly after this meeting is adjourned."

The Council members looked at each and Koharu sighed heavily. "It appears we have no choice…" She murmured. "If we are all in agreement?" Heads nodded heavily and Koharu continued. "Fine, Godaime-sama you have the approval and support of the Konoha Council in the matter of dealing with Uchiha Sasuke."

Tsunade bowed in thanks and watched the Council members file out, murmuring amongst themselves. After everyone had left the three remaining shinobi all sat down with a collective sigh, Tsunade reaching for a bottle of sake.

Three Hours Later

"So when are you going to tell Tsunade-hime that the infamous Kitsune is you, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked as he and Naruto walked through the forest to perform the resurrection jutsu. The cloak hood was shaken back to reveal long blonde spiky hair with crimson tips, gathered into a low ponytail. A clawed hand came up and brushed away a few errant strands fell in front of crimson eyes, just barely brushing thickened whisker marks that distorted as Naruto responded, flashing the slight fangs hidden in his mouth.

"I'm not sure…" Naruto frowned as he thought about it. "Probably after this mess with Sasuke is taken care off. I do have control over all my tails now, and Kyuubi's going to be gone by my next birthday. I'm surprised the old fuzz ball hasn't actually disappeared yet…." He trailed off thoughtfully as Jiraiya stopped on the edge of a large clearing.

"Ah, this will work nicely. You ready for this?" Jiraiya muttered under his breath to Naruto as the boy discarded his cloak. Crimson eyes glanced over at his former mentor and narrowed. Naruto clenched his fists slightly, feeling his claws easily break through the skin. "Not really, I'm even sure _why _I'm here Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya sighed mournfully and glanced up at the sky. "I almost wish you wouldn't' reveal yourself- that Kitsune persona is actually respectful." That drew an amused chuckle from Naruto.

"Basic tactic in hiding yourself- adopt a personality the opposite of your own. Jokes aside, why I am here to watch the resurrection of the man who is almost personally responsible for my early childhood?"

"Because I'm not sure if this will work- you're my backup. Sure, when Orochimaru uses the jutsu he's fine, but he's only summoned people who were only dead."

"_Only_ dead? Are you telling me there are levels of deadness?"

"Shut up gaki. My point is, the Yondaime is stuck inside the Shinigami's belly, and the Death God might want something a little extra to fish him out."

Naruto growled slightly but accepted the explanation with a nod before moving to the edge of the clearing as Jiraiya took a deep breath before starting the handseals required. Finally Jiraiya bit his thumb, ignoring the pain with the ease of long practice and cried out the jutsu's name.

"Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!" Jiraiya slammed his palm to the ground and stood there for a moment as he and Naruto both waited. After a few minutes Jiraiya stood up hesitantly while Naruto appeared unsure. Looking around he sent a glare at Jiraiya who held up his hands defensively. "Hey don't look at me; I put most of my chakra in that!"

"Great, you can be the one who tells Baa-chan that while I try to get Mas-" Naruto broke off mid-retort as he spotted a ghostly figure slowly materializing. As the details became clearer he dropped into a respectful crouch with his head bowed as Jiraiya gulped nervously.

_Foolish ningen…what have you summoned me for this time? The bijuu have all been sealed, what more do you need of my power? _The Shinigami spoke in an old hissing voice that sent chills down Jiraiya's spine. Bowing deeply, Jiraiya spoke.

"We did not call you for your power, but rather one held _in _your power. Your stomach to be precise…." Jiraiya trailed of as the Shinigami sent him an icy look. _You seek one of the_ _Shiki Fuujin users? You'll need more than a pitiful offering of chakra to gain back one of their souls._

"What else would you require Shinigami-sama?" Jiraiya asked respectfully. The Shinigami chuckled wryly before replying.

_Nothing you can give me ningen…your companion on the other hand…_ Naruto cautiously glanced up from his bow. _Stand up, holder of the Kyuubi, and Kyuubi himself. _

Naruto stood, wondering what the Shinigami wanted. He met the Shinigami's eyes with an even gaze, as the death god studied him for a moment. _Ye-es….I remember you. The offering I require is not a terribly expensive one, but something specific- Blood for blood is all I ask from you. _

Naruto's eyes hardened at the statement- It'd been Kyuubi's most recent birthday gift to him, the knowledge of his lineage. He'd spent most of his birthday destroying the rocky terrain surrounding him- he'd been in Iwa at the time- in his anger- his greatest hero not only turned out to be the man who destroyed his chance at a normal life; he also turned out to be his father. His musing was cut short by the Shinigami's growl. _My time is precious Kyuubi, do not waste much more of it. If you wish to call back the one who sealed your predecessor I suggest you hold out your arm._

Without a word, Naruto slowly lifted his right arm and held it with his palm facing up. The Shinigami smiled slightly before reaching out with a clawed fingertip to carve a gash that extended from Naruto's elbow to the middle of his palm; neatly collecting a sample of the kitsune's blood as Naruto's face blanched an interesting shade of white from the pain.

While the death god licked the collected blood, Naruto fell to one knee as his left hand instinctively clasped over the wound. Jiraiya quickly walked over to his student and wrapped up the gash as the Shinigami reached an arm down his own throat and pulled out a familiar blonde-haired figure, clad in a standard jounin uniform, hidden underneath a white billowing sleeveless coat with a bottom border of flames. The death god set the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato on the ground somewhat gently before fading away with a final chuckle.

"Shimatta…blood for blood my ass; that hurt as if I grew three tails at once!" Naruto muttered through clenched teeth. Jiraiya chuckled feebly before patting him on the shoulder as he rose to check on the other blonde left in the clearing.

Crouching next to the former Hokage, Jiraiya was pleased to his chest rising and falling steadily. Reaching out with a large hand, the Sannin gently shook the man's shoulder. Minato stirred and cracked open a bleary blue eye. "Ngh…Sarutobi-sama, let me rest a bit before the next spar…" His voice trailed off as he saw that his awakener was not the Third. Jiraiya smiled crookedly. "Hey, gaki. Welcome back to the land of the living."

Minato sat up in shock, looking about him in confusion. "Wha'…Ero-sensei? This is definitely _not _the Shinigami's stomach!" Jiraiya twitched and restrained a growl, instead hauling the still-stunned Fourth to his feet. "C'mon, we'll explain more once you're in Tsunade-hime's office." Minato nodded dazedly, a question forming in his mind. "How'd you bring me back…? Last time I checked, there wasn't a convenient Resurrection no Jutsu lying about."

"Orochimaru." Minato turned his head to see a cloaked Naruto standing with his arms folded. Naruto swallowed, trying to restrain the urge to throttle the former Hokage for answers. "This jutsu was his creation, though in your circumstance there was an additional price…" Naruto broke off, not trusting his voice to hide his anger. Instead he rummaged in his pouch with his right hand, pulling out a small scroll. "Blood for blood, Yondaime-sama." He stated, tossing the scroll at the Hokage before leaving the clearing.

Jiraiya sighed, looking down at the forest floor as the Yondaime unrolled the scroll to find it was a storage scroll. Absently biting his thumb, the blonde smeared some blood across the seal and was mildly surprised to see a cloak appear. Jiraiya nodded in approval.

"Who was that? And what do I need this for?" Minato asked as he held the cloak against himself.

Jiraiya whacked him upside the head before replying. "Baka, you've been dead for sixteen years. If people see you walk down the street they'll freak. And the owner of that cloak is a traveling shinobi, aptly termed the Wandering Kitsune."

"Friendly guy, I see." Jiraiya shrugged as he watched his former student settle the cloak over his shoulders and flip up the hood to cover his face. "He's not so bad once you get to know him actually. I think he's just having a bad day."

Minato cracked a smile and the pair set off back towards Konoha.

Naruto stalked down the road back to Konoha, fists tightly clenched beneath his cloak. Sure, he'd realized that they'd be resurrecting the Yondaime Hokage, sealer of the Kyuubi, but he hadn't been prepared for the shock and anger he'd felt when he saw the man lying there as if he'd merely fallen asleep. He was so caught up by his thoughts that he barely noticed where he was walking.

**Not that I don't mind or anything, but if you don't stop releasing that killing intent, the ANBU behind you might decide to attack. **Naruto jumped a little as Kyuubi spoke up in the back of his mind. Sighing, the teenager paused long enough to stop leaking the murderous energy that had caught the attention of at least two ANBU if the chakra signatures were anything to go by. _Sorry, Kyuubi. It's just, when I saw him just lying there I just wanted to slam him against a tree and demand answers…I just felt so _angry _at him. _

"My apologies, ANBU-san; I did not realize I was leaking killing intent." He broke off from his mental explanation to apologize to the masked figures that stood in two trees. After he felt their chakra signatures retreat, Kyuubi provided his own mental explanation. **It's not just your anger kit; it's my own as well. When I first got sealed, I at least had the satisfaction of knowing that my sealer was dead- He could have the decency to remain **_**dead**_**!**

Naruto nodded mentally before he focused on his surroundings once more, feeling slightly surprised to see that his feet had led him through Konoha and to the top of the Hokage Monument. He'd often come here to be alone and to think when he was younger. Smiling slightly, he peered out over the edge of the Fourth's head before climbing down to perch behind a stone spike of hair. Leaning his head back against the cool stone, Naruto let out a sigh and closed his eyes.

Sasuke opened his eyes with a barely perceptible groan, not too surprised to find that he'd been blindfolded. Feeling something missing, he ran a quick check over himself, to find that almost all of his chakra had been sealed while he'd been sedated. In trying to shift to a more comfortable position, he found he'd also been bound to his bed.

"You know, you're a lot more trouble than you're worth Uchiha." Sasuke's lips twitched into a sneer as he recognized the voice of Godaime Hokage.

"If I'm so much trouble, why not let me go?" He asked in a sardonic tone. He was rewarded with a snort of derisive laughter from the busty healer.

"I'd rather try to keep you here than have you run back to Orochimaru's loving arms."

"You won't be able to for much longer, not with those restrictive seals weakening- my curse seal's eating at them even as we speak." Sasuke smirked, thinking of when he'd be free of this place, back gaining power with Orochimaru.

"Ah, funny you'd say that…we've actually managed to find a Seal Master who could probably remove the snake's love bite once and for all if given the time." He vaguely recognized the Sannin Jiraiya's voice. Sasuke felt a sharp stab of icy fear for a moment, but he hid it.

"And what makes you think I'll let anyone near my curse seal?" He asked in an icy tone. "This seal is going to give me the power to kill my bro-"

"Spare us the avenger speech, we've heard it before." Tsunade roughly interrupted the younger Uchiha before continuing. "We didn't come here for a pleasant chit-chat; we actually have a small proposition for you."Sasuke raised an eyebrow but stayed silent, which Tsunade took as a good sign, and gestured for Jiraiya to speak.

"We're going to let you fight, an opponent of Tsunade's and my choosing. If you win, we won't touch the hickey of doom. But if your opponent wins, we get to do anything we want to the love bite." Jiraiya spoke in a serious tone, smirking as he saw Sasuke twitch minutely at the nicknames he gave Orochimaru's seal. After a few moments of silence, Sasuke spoke up, an evil smile spreading.

"Who do I get to fight?" He asked. There was a silence before a new voice spoke, a low growl that Sasuke remembered all too well. It was right next to his ear, and Sasuke felt the speaker casually slice away the blindfold. "**Miss me?**" Sasuke winced as bright moonlight made his pupils' contract. As he blinked away tears of pain, he growled at the sight of a familiar cloaked figure.

"**Aw, the Uchiha remembers me- I'm touched.**" Kitsune spoke in a mocking tone, deeper than his usual voice, placing a bandaged palm over his chest. Sasuke glared at the man before him, as if that alone would kill the shinobi who was responsible for his involuntary return to Konoha.

"What is _he _doing here?" The Uchiha ground out from between clenched teeth.

Tsunade smirked, arms folded across her ample bosom. "He helped us bring back that Seal Master Jiraiya mentioned."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, but he maintained his cool and arrogant façade. Firmly telling himself to calm down, he glanced at the two Sannin in the room.

"When's the fight?" He asked with a smirk.

AN: Finally done! That said, there are a few reasons for the delay in posting the chapters.

1. This is not just a reposting, I will actually be continuing the story

2. Because of this, I sometimes need to make subtle changes to the plot, without losing what AnimeOtaku worked so hard to create

3. I'm editing any mistakes I see in punctuation or grammar, as I'm just anal like that

4. I'm a high school student preparing for college visits and applications, and am very busy

5. Working on this story takes up what little free time I have, and that means that work has to be spread out

I'm not trying to be a prick, and I apologize for the delay, but the circumstances mentioned above have little chance of working out anytime soon. Updates will continue, and I hope everyone will be happy with the course this story takes in the future.

As always,

Ryan

**Please Read and Review, I tend to update faster when encouraged!**


	6. Nostalgia

AN: Here's another chapter for everyone. Again, I've adopted this story from AnimeOtaku31812. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto

_**Wandering Fox**_

_**Chapter 6: Nostalgia  
**_

"Konoha's changed a lot since I've been gone…" Minato commented somewhat wistfully from top of the Hokage Monument. Jiraiya cocked his head and smiled ironically at his former student.

"Things tend to do that when you're dead." He commented, and Minato laughed, turning away from looking over nighttime Konoha. Jiraiya watched as his student meandered over the monument, probably still processing all of what he'd been told in Tsunade's office. Jiraiya was pulled from his silent observations when Minato spoke up again.

"Ne, Ero-sensei?"

"What is it gaki?"

"Can we go get some ramen?" Jiraiya groaned at the wheedling tone he heard in Minato's voice- he sounded just like Naruto. Or Naruto sounded just like him. Dragging a hand over his face, the pervert let out a long suffering sigh.

"Why did I know I was eventually going to hear that request?"

"Because you know me that well?"

"Yeah…put on a henge and we can go get some."

"Woohoo!"

Jiraiya chuckled at Minato's exclamation before the former Hokage put on a simple henge, one that changed his golden blonde locks to a dull brown and shifted his eyes to a greener tone of blue. His clothes changed from the standard jounin uniform to a simple black t-shirt over some loose tan cargo pants. Jiraiya nodded in approval and the pair set out for Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto sighed as he nursed his shrimp ramen, under his usual henge. He'd been here since he'd left the hospital, thinking about the fight that had been arranged to be held in Konoha Stadium in about three days. He was confident that he could beat Sasuke; after all he'd done it once before- but could he escape with his persona intact? His thoughts were interrupted by Kyuubi's mental warning of: _**He's **_**coming your way kit- I'd suggest you pack up and move.**

_Let me finish the bowl and then I'll leave- I should probably find a hotel or take a chance on using my old apartment. _Naruto thought back at his tenant who merely rumbled and retreated from Naruto's perception. He'd just picked up his chopsticks to fish after the last of his noodles, when he spotted a familiar mane of white hair. He scowled slightly as he watched Jiraiya and an unfamiliar man sit a few stools down from him. Despite the changed appearance, Naruto could tell it was the Yondaime from the powerful chakra signature.

"Ne, Teuchi-san; I think this is it for me. How much do I owe this time?" He called out to the old chef who wandered over to tally up his meal.

"Only 27 yen this time." Naruto pulled out his wallet and dug out the required cash, handing it to the old man.

Teuchi nodded and placed the money in his apron. "Thanks- when do you think you'll be leaving Konoha?"

Naruto paused, and shrugged. "Probably within a week- why?"

"Just curious. Give my regards to Naruto when you see him next?"

Naruto winced mentally but nodded with a smile. "Of course Teuchi-san." The old man smiled and Naruto turned to leave when he heard Minato call out his persona's name. Steeling himself, he turned back.

"Yes?" He asked in a polite tone, while mentally telling the Kyuubi to stop growling and stay out of his mind. Green-blue eyes studied him for a moment before their owner spoke.

"You know Naruto?" Minato spoke in a soft tone. Kitsune glanced at Jiraiya who shrugged minutely before nodding shortly.

"Hai. We traveled together for a time after he left Konoha and I see him often in my travels."

"Sou ka…How is he doing?" Minato smiled slightly, henged eyes slightly unfocused.

"Very well. I last spotted him in Iwa, traveling." Kitsune shifted uncomfortably, wanting to leave as soon as possible.

"Was he…happy?" The traveling shinobi felt his fangs grow ever so slightly

"Happier than he was here in Konoha. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to find a hotel." With a short bow, Naruto walked away at least a block before he took to the roofs and fled to his old apartment, not wanting to pay for a hotel room.

Entering through an open window he was extremely surprised to find everything was still there, and that furthermore, there were additions. Several more rugs had been placed on the floor in front of a large TV that he definitely could not have owned. Some bean bags were scattered about with some food-related debris. Looking around in shock, he spotted pictures littering the walls, all of the various teams of the Rookie Nine.

Too tired to make sense of the changes in his apartment, Naruto stumbled down the hallway and into his bedroom which had remained untouched to his relief. Stripping off his cloak, and crawling under the covers of his bed, Naruto slept.

Sasuke smirked as his ANBU guards released him from his bonds on the familiar arena floor. He flexed his wrists to help his blood flow increase. His ANBU guards disappeared after a moment and Tsunade stepped forward to explain the rules.

"This will be a free-form match between Uchiha Sasuke and the shinobi known as the Wandering Kitsune," she intoned, "I will start the match then retreat to the competitor's platform to watch. The match will end when one of you is either dead," she glanced at Sasuke, "or incapacitated." This time she looked at Kitsune.

Both contestants nodded in silent agreement of the rules and Tsunade raised her arm before bringing it down in a decisive chop. "Hajime!"

Sasuke darted forward, eager to start the match. He quickly pulled a kunai out before launching it at the cloaked figure before him. Kitsune merely dodged to one side while pulling out a kunai of his own, crimson eye narrowed calculatingly as he watched his opponent.

"**What, not going to use your so-called precious Sharingan?**" Kitsune taunted as he appeared to bounce lightly on his feet.

Sasuke snarled at his opponent before retorting. "I won't need it to deal with trash like you!"

This drew a low chuckle in response from Kitsune who darted forward suddenly, a kunai grasped in one hand, flinging a scatter of shuriken from the other. Sasuke blocked them easily with a second kunai he drew from the pouch on his leg. A clang was heard as both kunai struck each other several times in quick succession as their owners tried the defenses of the other.

Finally Sasuke retreated, carefully studying Kitsune's movements. Sasuke felt his eye twitch slightly as he saw Kitsune was still bouncing slightly. Was there a purpose, he wondered, or was the cloaked shinobi just that excited…Whatever the reason, Sasuke threw the kunai in his hand before following it to press a taijutsu attack while Kitsune knocked the kunai out of the way. Crimson eyes widened a fraction as he watched Sasuke's fist approach him at high speeds. He jumped back, not far enough to evade the punch, but enough to lessen the impact.

Sasuke smirked as he watched Kitsune stumble slightly from the punch, quickly delivering a fast roundhouse kick that caught Kitsune in the side and made him stagger. However, Kitsune managed to keep his balance long enough to manage a powerful leap towards Sasuke, a fist readied. Sasuke dodged and turned to watch Kitsune roll into a controlled tumble that brought him back to his feet and bouncing.

Before Kitsune could bounce more than four or five times, Sasuke formed familiar hand seals before cupping his first two fingers and thumb before his mouth. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" He yelled before exhaling the large fireball that gave the technique its name. As the jutsu ended, Sasuke felt a small sense of satisfaction at not seeing a bouncing figure. "Well that was a fast match," he murmured before his eyes widened, Sharingan instinctively activating as he felt someone behind him. He whirled in time to hiss in pain as a kunai grazed across his left arm and across his chest. He leapt back before Kitsune could strike a harsher blow.

Kitsune chuckled and help up the bloodied kunai. "**First blood's mine, Uchiha.**" He stated, calmly licking the blade before spitting out a mixture of blood and spit. "**Feh! I'd forgotten- cursed clan, bad blood.**" Kitsune back-pedaled furiously as Sasuke launched towards him with a serious of fast punches and kicks. He managed to block most of them and dodge out of the way of the few that came close to hitting.

"**Ooh, did I make someone mad?**" Kitsune taunted, eyes glittering as he leapt to one side to avoid a particularly vicious axe-kick. Sasuke stood up, breathing heavily from the fast attacks he'd used. It infuriated him that his opponent stood there so calmly, not even showing so much as a sign of fatigue, even with the huge leaps and bounds Kitsune had used to escape his attacks.

_Why can't I hit him? _Sasuke thought angrily. _I'm using the Sharingan, but all that shows me is that he's going to continue bouncing up and down like a kid on his birthday! _Suddenly he whacked himself mentally for not seeing it before. _His cloak…it hides his body movement, so I can't anticipate his next moves…We'll have to change that. _Sasuke smirked slightly and had the pleasure of watching red eyes, other than his own, narrow.

Kitsune felt his stomach drop as he watched Sasuke smirk before performing several hand seals. His eyes narrowed then widened as Sasuke called out the technique's name.

"Katon: Hosenka no jutsu!" Several small fireballs spewed from Sasuke's mouth, all heading for Kitsune who cursed under his breath before forming hand seals of his own for the first time.

"**Doton: Doryūheki no jutsu!" **Kitsune quickly spewed a flood of mud from his mouth that formed a defensive wall from Sasuke's technique.

Sasuke frowned slightly, before leaping over the wall Kitsune had created; ready to use another Katon jutsu. He looked around in confusion as he didn't see anyone behind the earthen barrier. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted movement, some cloth flapping- He whirled and leapt out of the way of a fox shape that appeared to be made out of…flames? The flaming kitsune hit the earthen barrier and exploded outwards. As Sasuke landed, he spotted his chance as his cloaked opponent leapt to another attack point. Sasuke's eyes narrowed into red slits as he formed the hand seals he'd memorized long ago.

He aimed carefully as he gathered chakra in his chest before expelling it out all at once, shouting the name of the jutsu. "Katon: Karyuu Endan!" A large dragon of flames exploded towards the falling figure. Sasuke smirked as he saw the dragon hit the plummeting man square in the chest. He once more turned around, thinking the match was done. Finding the spectator's platform he searched for Tsunade's, a victory sneer already in place.

"**TEME!**" Sasuke froze as he heard the name. Only person had dared called him that…He turned, disbelieving to see a heavily panting, extremely different-looking, but recognizable Naruto. Sharingan eyes memorized every detail- The wild blonde spikes, the ends a deep crimson; the burning, scorching crimsons eyes; the broad, jagged whiskers lines; the serrated fangs that extended past his lip.

But the changes that shocked Sasuke the most were the numerous tails that lashed from side to side in anger and the murderous look on Naruto's face. The Uchiha could almost feel the weight of Naruto's killing intent swirling around him, pressing down…

"**Surprise teme.**" Naruto's voice was a low harsh growl, as he stalked towards Sasuke, clawed hands open and tensed, ready to strike. Sasuke watched as Naruto took each slow step forward, his bare feetpadding softly in the dirt. Naruto actually bobbed with each step as he walked on the balls of his feet. Wordlessly checking to see if he was in a genjutsu, Sasuke finally attempted to speak only to find that shock had frozen his vocal chords.

Shaking his head, the Uchiha tried to focus back on the fight- He had to win, no matter who his opponent was. Glaring right back at Naruto, Sasuke grabbed a trio of kunai and hurled them towards his former teammate.

Naruto knocked away Sasuke's kunai with a tail and crouched before leaping and tackling the Uchiha. They rolled about on the ground for a moment before Naruto managed to pin Sasuke's arms with his knees, tails twining around Sasuke's knees to keep him from a counter.

Quickly before the raven-haired boy could use his Sharingan, Naruto reached with a clawed hand and forced the Uchiha's head back and with the other hand, held a kunai to the pale throat. Sasuke, who had been struggling to break free, froze as he felt the cold steel touch his jugular artery.

"**Dead.**" Naruto spoke the single word in a low growl. Sasuke managed a tiny nod and was relieved to feel Naruto release him and remove the kunai from his throat. He stared up at his changed ex-teammate with wide eyes for a moment before Naruto roughly shoved himself to his feet.

Barely sparing a glance towards the spectator's booth Naruto stalked off the field, tails still lashing angrily. Sasuke slowly stood up and rubbed his neck, his mind still trying to process what he'd seen. When his ANBU guards appeared to take him back to his cell, he didn't protest or resist in his usual fashion but just walked quietly; wondering what had happened to his ex-teammate in his absence.

Up in the spectator's booth, Jiraiya was the subject of a very intense and very angry glare. When he tried to take a subtle, or so he hoped, step towards the door, several kunai perforated the wall beside his head. Tsunade was the first to speak, in a deadly tone.

"You knew." When Jiraiya didn't say anything in defense she continued. "You knew and you DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?" She lashed out with a punch that caught the large man on the jaw and sent him staggering. "Why the hell didn't you tell me that the so-called Wandering Kitsune was Naruto?" She hit him several more times and he didn't dodge a single hit, taking the abuse silently for the most part. Finally the irate blonde stopped and Jiraiya stood up slowly.

"What good would've it done for you to know?" He said simply. Tsunade opened her mouth to unleash an angry retort only to find none. She closed her mouth and folded her arms. Jiraiya cautiously approached her and wrapped her in a loose embrace. Tsunade stiffened for a moment before relaxing. After another moment, she realized that Minato had disappeared.

"Where'd Minato go?" She asked, puzzled. Jiraiya chuckled and cocked his head toward the door. "Tore outta here after Naruto like a bat out of hell." Tsunade laughed at that, resting her head on Jiraiya's chest a moment longer before disengaging.

She had paperwork to do.

AN: I can't emphasize enough that this is a REWRITE, and I will be making tiny changes to the story. Major plot developments will remain the same, and I hope I don't disappoint anyone. This'll be the last chapter for tonight, I'm tired and have to get to work on AP stuff, as well as college essays, tomorrow.

Sayonara,

Ryan

**Please Read and Review!**


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